She swallows the lavash and asks, "What's your ex wife like?"
He blinks, sighs, and pokes the aubergine on his plate a couple times.
"She's average height, and has dark hair. Well, at least she had, two years ago when I last saw her."
Yes, definitely. Mars and Venus.
"That's not what I meant. What's she like as a person?"
He continues giving her a confused look. It's her turn to sigh.
"John, I'm trying to determine how much of a nightmare this dinner party is going to be. Will she try to have me with her soup, or will she wait till pudding?"
He finally smiles a bit, and it's such a relief that she exhales loudly. Honestly, even this uncertain little smile in the corners of his lips is better than none.
"I don't think she'll be much of a barney, Liv. I've heard she's getting married, and knowing Annabelle, she'll be talking about it nonstop and probably won't even notice you're there."
Oh god, she is Annabelle! And wait, what?
"Getting married?! To the prick she's cheated on you with? And we're going to a dinner party with them?!"
She flails her hands in the air.
"So we are going then?" he pronounces slowly, and his smile grows wider.
"John!" she squeaks. "How's this the priority question right now?!"
He chuckles.
"She's getting married to a new bloke. The one she moved onto, after the one she cheated on me with. He works in my old firm too. That's her thing."
"Cheating?!"
"Architects," he answers, and apparently that's funny to him. He's giving her a white-toothed grin now.
"God, what is wrong with her? Doesn't she know about the 'don't foul in your nest' rule?!"
That earns her a guffaw from him.
"Is that the polite version of 'don't shit where you eat' one?" he asks after his booming laughter stops rolling in his kitchen.
"Well, I mean, how many architects are there in this city? Is she going through all of them?"
"Liv, it really doesn't matter. There's going to be plenty of other people there, and I like most of them. So, I was hoping you'd like to meet them. A couple of my footie mates will be there, and some other couple."
He finally picks up some food and places a forkful into his mouth.
She's giving it a thought. Apparently, it's that simple in his mind. He's pensively chewing his stew, waiting for her answer.
And she suddenly realises that it's quite an easy one. There he is, with his lovely dark beard, his warm blue eyes, and food funnily making his cheek stick out. She was jammy enough to meet a decent bloke, and he wants her to meet his mates. How's that an aggro?
"Sure. Let's meet your footie mates."
He smiles widely, and she takes a bite of his cooking. It's heavenly, and she moans quietly. It's just the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
"Good?" he asks, one eyebrow predictably cocked up. Also the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
She's starving. Also she was so stressed - and now she's not - so, after a few bites life seems so much better. She moans again, expressing her approval. He's staring at her lips. She, by now, knows this look.
"You're staying the night, aren't you?" His voice is a bit raspy.
"You bet." She licks her lips, and his eyes follow the movement of her tongue.
"I want you to cook me breakfast," she quips.
And here's the second guffaw from him in the course of ten minutes. She'll count this evening a success.
She indeed stays the night, and they have the most traditional shag the two of them have engaged in - so far. After pudding - and she properly fancies the baklava that he picked up in the same bakery as the bread - the two of them watch the new episode of Doctor Who. But even the gloriousness that is Peter Capaldi can't distract her from the scrumptious male sitting on the sofa near her. And he did say that night that she should just ask whenever she's in the mood...
She decides that actions speak better than words. She stretches to him and kisses his neck. He gives her a funny sideways look, without turning his head. She repeats the action - and then the two of them are kissing, grabbing, pulling off clothes, and quickly moving to his bedroom. They go for the classics - missionary - and it's ace! She applies the previously acquired knowledge and rakes his back with her nails, arching into him, and thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the bottom line of his beard under her lips and teeth. That's enough to make him lose his control, and after a series of enthusiastic efforts from him, the two of them come simultaneously. She might have had to hold hers back a bit, but she's managed to sync them - and it's just perfect!
He cleans up in the bathroom, she's half asleep by then, and then he spoons her, and she picks up his hand, tangling their fingers, and falls asleep, feeling his even breaths behind her. She decides she's not analysing anything tonight, and will just enjoy the peace and safety that she feels in this position.
***
The dinner party is on Saturday, and she's of course ready forty minutes early. She's sitting in front of her computer, pointlessly poking Pinterest.
To say she isn't bricking it would be a lie, but she takes a few measured breaths in, and decides to approach this evening as a test of whatever it is that's happening between the two of them. After all, if it goes pearshaped and he doesn't take it well and doesn't support her - that is if she even needs support there - then she'll know she's fallen for a person she's imagined but who's actually not there. After all, she knows quite little about him. She's 'gotten his vibe,' as she calls it. And she's rarely wrong about people, but she might've been just optimistic, or it could've been wishful thinking.
Her mobile rings, and she hopes it's John coming early for her to save her from thirty five minutes of overthinking and freaking out.
It's Bea. Olivia hasn't told her about the party, since she knows that Bea would try to give her advice and, which is much worse, she'd try to force Olivia to change out of the nice comfortable midi dress she's chosen into something preposterously sexy and terribly 'not Olivia.' And Bea would definitely be dischuffed with the flats and the minimum makeup. So, Olivia just pretends she doesn't hear the phone.
Bea rings six more times, and by the time John buzzes from downstairs Olivia has half a mind to flush her Android down the loo.
Bea does it, it's old news. In 99% of the time it's something ridiculous. She got a new pair of shoes; she saw some totty on her way home from work; Olivia's father is driving Bea bonkers. The last one is the most common. Every time Olivia is tempted to remind Bea that she married a man who - literally - could have been her father. And Bea went to uni with his daughter. And he is an aging Casanova, an actor, and the worst wanker out of all of them. After all, he started his acting career at the age of 16, he had little talent - it was all his looks - so between the ages of 35 and 57 he saw no work whatsoever. It wasn't until this hit TV show he's now in, that his career was revived - and now, every starlette and an underage fangirl wants to get into his pants. What sort of marriage did Bea expect? Also, 'monogamy' isn't exactly part of her own vocabulary either.
Olivia lets John in, throws one last look at herself in the mirror, and then meets his smiling eyes. He pulls her in and gives her a small chaste kiss on the cheek. He's dressed in a nice jacket, smells divine, and his skin is warm, and his eyes are twinkling. Did he honestly expect that peck would do? She twists her head and catches his mouth. She also might need a bit of a courage boost. He delivers, and she's all tingly head to toe.
"Didn't want to ruin your lipstick..." he whispers in her lips, and kisses them again. And then again.
"I'm not wearing any. If I ever do, feel free to ruin it."
He laughs and kisses her firmly.
"Will do. And, Liv?"
She moves away, picks up her clutch, and throws him an expectant look.
"Your lips are driving me bonkers. They do look like there's lipstick on them."
Olivia doesn't like her mouth. It's wide, and indeed her lips are bright red - a typical ginger aggro. It's no accident that her childhood nickname was Ms. Toad of Toad Hall. But whatever tickles his pickle, right? She kisses him back quickly.
"Let's go. I can't wait to meet your teammates."